Sorting device



Sept. 25, 1945. E. E. GARLITS, JR

sonw ms DEVICE' 7 Filed July 14, 1942 3 Sheets- Sheet l- INVENTOR. EDWARD E.. GARL/TSJP.

ATTPRNEY.

p 1945. E. E. GARLJTS, JR Y 2,385,700

' son'rme DEVICE Filed July 14. 1942 3 Sheets-Shag: 2

INVENTOR.

E. E. GARLITS, JR

SORTING DEVICE Filed July 14. 1942 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. EDWARD E. exam/75.1w.

' Sept. 25, 1945.

Patented Sept. 25, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,385,700 7 SORTING DEVICE Edward E. Garlits, Jr., Yardley, Pa. Application July 14, 1942, Serial N01 450,929

12 Claims.

My invention relates to sorting devices and although the principle of construction and numerous features thereof are of general application and may be embodied in devices for sorting objects, the invention is particularly designed and hereinafter described for use in sorting mixed accumulations of rivets of the type usedin the manufacture of aircraft.

Many thousands of rivets are used in each aircraft produced and these vary in length, diameter, head size, head type and in other respects. Moreover, they are small'and difficult to handle so that the operators drop orspill hundreds of rivets every day. Because of the present shortage of aluminum and the relatively high cost of the rivets they are carefully swept up for re-use. However, the accumulation of rivets thus obtained include rivets of all different sizes, shapes and types and it is necessary to sort them out before they can be re-used. This is a very tedious and expensive operation when done by hand but no very satisfactory machine for performing this operation has previously been developed.

In accordance with my invention the sorting of rivets, or other objects, is effected rapidly and accurately by providing means for conveying the rivets one after another past a series of units each embodying identifying means capable of distinguishing between rivets having different types of heads, or shanks of different length or different diameter. Further, thedevice embodies mechanism controlled by the identifying means for device for'lifting rivets from the conveyor is very satisfactory. Similarly, I may use different or alternative types of conveying means but prefer to deposit the rivets on'traveling members arranged in parallel relation and spaced apart so that the heads 'of the rivets rest on the members while the shanks of the rivets extend downward between the members. These members may be threads, wires, tapes or any' other preferred means. .1, i

Any suitable type of identifying means may be used but I prefer to employ a photo electric cell for controlling the operation of the extractor. Suitable masks or screens can then be placed between the light source and photoelectric cell so that when a rivet of predetermined type, size or shape passes between the light source and the cell it will be automatically identified or classified by the mask and if it is of such size or shape that it cuts off allor substantially all the light passing from the light source to the photoelectric cell the extractor will be actuated to remove the rivet from the conveyor. If the rivetis not of thesize or type for which thefirst unit is adjusted it will pass on to the next unit where it will again be graded and thus continue on until extracted by theproper unit or discharged at the end of the device. 'A photoelectric cell and characteristic masks are preferred'for identifying those rivets of different type,size or shape since it is possible by the use of such means to effect the selection and sorting of the rivets without direct physical contact between the rivets and identifying means and the rivets are notdisplaced or disturbed by the classifying operation. However, it will be apparent that anypreferred type of classifying practice of my invenrivet sorter with novel identifying means capable of distinguishing between rivets of different types andrivets of different size for selectively controllingthe removal of rivets from the device.

A further object of my invention is to sort rivets. into groups of different size, shape and type, continuously and automatically with a high degree of accuracy and in a rapid and economical manner.

These and other objects and features of my invention will appear from the following description thereof inwhich reference is made to the. figures of the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of rivet sorting device embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of certain of the elements embodied in the construction shown in Fig.1,

rivets and discharge them through 4, 6 and 58"" by which they are passed to conveying means which as shown include a drive and feed-drum about which pass a pair of spaced parallelt threads, wires, tapes or other movable members I2 for carrying the rivets to be sorted.

As shown in Fig. 5 the drum I0 is mounted-on a shaft l4 and is composed of opposite sections l d which are u-r-ged' -apa'rtby springsl-B and adjustable-toward and-away-from each other by wingnuts ZiF-ori-bolts-Ziwhich pass through bothwectionsof the-idrum -i Eachsection of the drum presents. an inwardly facing conical SUIT-.1 face =24: which'is provided with a head or. flange Zitfor receiving and positioning thethreads I92.

With this construction theconical surfaces of the sections of the 'drum direct and= 'gu-idethe rivets onto the threads 12: "whereas the spaeingof 'the threads is variable toreceive and hold rivets of predeterminedsi'ze with the-heads 2-8 of the rivets resting on -thethreads and the shanks 30 of the-rivets extending down-ward below't'he threads Adjustment of the threads also may bemade to-cause thelargest rivets to ride in an inclined position: onthethreads-while the smaller rivetszare suspended in vertical-positions;

Itis found-in-practice-thatif the drum I0 is fonned -of non-metallic material such as wood, or; is suitably roughened-the rivets are caused to 'move wi thfl the drum' in such a manner that they are" distributed. substantially uniformly along -the threads as they travel tromthe drum toward the idler 3Z atthe opposite endofthe ma'chinez- A tray 34 isi located-below the drum H] to catch any rivets which fall from the drum or threads so that theymay .be returned to the hopper-2:11) is: also found; particularly onlong machines; that. some: sag preventing means such as auxili ary drumsor'tensioningmembers of the type :illustrated'atiwin Fig.- 1 should be: used to retain the. threads 1:2 in predetermined horizontal positions for accurate sorting of therivet'si The threads or other conveying means by whichathe rivets: to be sorted. are carried, move therivets past a seriesof units 38, each of which includes identifying" means and an extractor. The? identifying. mean shown are of the light sensitive type'anol"v embody a lightsource 40',a photo electric eel-1 4.2 and: a mask 46;. whereas the: extractor is of. a 'type whichm-ay becon trolled electrically vtorespond. to operation-of the photo electric cell;

Masks 46 are located between the light source and cell. and it is found'in-practice thatzgreater accuracy is attained if.'similar masks are" positioned'adjacent both the light source and the cell and on opposite-sides of theparallelathreads l2. The masks for each unit are formediwith apertures of. characteristic shape corresponding to the particular type; sizesror. shape. of. the: rivets to. be, removed bythatunit- Thus; as shownrin Fig. 2, the units may "be" arrangedirrseries and the masks may be formed withiaperturegzformed to cause the large rivets supported in inclined positions on the threads to obstruct all or a sufficient portion of the light passing through the aperture 48 to insure operation of the extracting means. The next aperture 50 is formed to cause all of the 'round headed rivets to be removed from the conveying means and as a result only flat headed rivets will be carried by the conveyor after it passes the second unit. Thereafter, the -masks 52* oi-successive units are arranged to cause the rivets of greatest shank diameter to be extracted one after another, the longest ones 7 first and each shorter size of rivet in turn until all of largest diameter rivets are removed. Subsequently, the rivets of next smaller diameter are removed bythe use of masks 54 of another series of units. Any suitable number of units or series of units-maybe provided to extract each size of rivet separately and the rivets having the smallest shank diameter and shortest in length may be? collected as'theypass dver the idler" 32iat the 811d- (11. 1116 device; By 'remc l g the lalfgeli and heavier rive-tsprior to :remaval of the smaller rivetstheweight oii the rivets-narriecrxby the conveyor? is reduced and; sagging and displacement therecti is reducedi Y After the hat headed rivets havei bensort'ed the round headed rivets b'e' passed: again through: the device or thrcughianothen device and:- the; unit associated: zwith the aperture 50 eliminated: or rermleredsinpperativez 1 device will: then. sort. the roumt headed rivets accord ing: to-- diameter and len gthz'li Finallythe d-rive arrdieeld: drum I'll: may baadiiustewto. space the threads l-2i farther'apartf'sor that: thee larger rivets I which previouslyrode inclined posi tions: and were" extracted: they reacneetzthe aperture 43 may: bersuspended from- -tlie threads in: vertical position: and them sorted; according to: head ty-pe; diameter and length;

The: type-oi extractor pref-erre'cb utilizes suc tion for removing" rivets from-- the conveyorz This device includesa-suction tubev56 arranged so thattheend-thereof is located-above the threads 1-2. andsubstantally in alignments-with the bearnof light I passing to the-phota electric cell. In: this the-end;of the-tube-is posittioned directly above: the? rivet: when rivet is in-position torb-reak the light beam; iandzcause the unit to be actuatedtx: -The-tubeg-leadszgto a receptacle- 58: l in which the sorted rivetsqare collected. and a tube Bfl-ihaving-a yatve- 52. therein leads to a common-line 64 extending tea -vacu tum. pump. (not shown'l When theQva-lve fiz is opened suction is appliedto the receptacle 58 and tube 56' whereby .lrivet beneathv the end of the. tube. is sucked; up: into the pipe.- 56 and deliveredto" the receptacle;v Thesize of: thetube used in each unit. may vhe. varied td-avoidclogging ofl'the. tuberby a rivet. in passing-there through and a screensmaybe locatedl-over -the end or the tube (ill to prevent any rivets tram passing into the. tube. 60. V

The valve 62 is actuated by! a solenoidylidunder the control; of the pl io-to electric cells i {For this purpose the solenoid is arranged;with one endthereoi connected-joy conductor 6-8Ttaasaurce oflpowersuch as; the -1 1-0- V011}: line m while' -the other endor the solenoidais comected ts the conductor-1:2 whichexterrdscto the relay The relaymay be-oi -anVSHi'BaQbIe JJYHGQTHdFiE prac tice I have useda General Electric-phdtmelcch'ic reLayZa GR-TFFM-K-LOO: whiclr- 'alsoi'i's -connected potential difierence' between the elements threin. The incandescent lamp 40 receives power from the line 10 through a transformer 16 and the motor 18 by which the hopper 2 and drum I D are driven also may be connected to the power line by conductors not shown. Incidentally, I have found it to be preferable to mount the units separately from the thread supporting and driving means and on rubber blocks to prevent the action of the solenoids from jarring the threads and displacing the rivets or inadvertently actuating the units.

In the operation of the device described the positions of the apertures 48 and 50 in the masks associated with the first two units are adjusted so that they are located slightly above the threads l2 while the positions of the remaining apertures 52 and 54 are adjusted so that they are located slightly below the threads I2. The spacing of the threads [2 is also adjusted to allow the rivets to be selected to hang in vertical positions therefrom. The motor 18 is then started to rotate the hopper 2 and drive the drive and feed drums Ill. The lamps 40 in the units are also lighted.

The rivets to be sorted are charged into the hopper 2 by a chute 80 and are agitated and raised by inwardly projecting cups or fins 82 so as to be discharged a few at a time to the chute 4. They then pass down the chutes 6 and 8 to the drum l where they are caused to pass onto the threads l2. As the threads travel lengthwise of the machine the larger rivets which are supported in inclined positions on the threads intercept the beam of light passing from the light source to the photo-electric cell through the aperture 48 in the mask 45 of the first unit. When the beam of light is broken the relay [4 causes the solenoid 66 to be energized whereby the valve 62 is opened to apply a vacuum to the receptacle 58 and tube 56. The larger rivets are thus raised from the threads and drawn into the receptacle 58 where they are collected for use in a further sorting operation.

Those rivets which are small enough to be suspended vertically between the threads pass the first unit without actuating it. They are then presented to the second unit and if they are of the round headed type they will break the beam of light passing through the aperture 50 in the mask for the second unit whereupon the second 4 unit will be actuated to suck up all of the round headed rivets for further sorting.

The flat headed rivets remaining on the threads are moved past each of the following units in succession until they reach a unit having a mask with an aperture therein of such size and shape that the rivet will obstruct all or substantially all of the light passing to the photo-electric cell. The unit is then actuated to extract the rivet and in this way the masks serve to measure or classify each rivet in turn so that it will be deposited in the receptacle which receives other rivets of the same size or same type.

When all of the flat headed rivets have been sorted for length and diameter the round headed rivets may be sorted in the same manner by rendering the first and second unit inoperative and thereafter the larger rivets extracted by the first unit of the device may be sorted by suitable adjustment of the drive and feed drum It to space the threads I2 farther apart.

In this Way the rivets may be quickly and accurately sorted according to type, size and shape so that they are ready for re-use with a minimum delay and at a great saving in the'cost of sort ing. r M It will be .readily understood that many changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangements of the various elements used v in the device. Thus other types of hoppers and feeders may be used to supply the rivets to the conveying means employed.- Similarly, other types of conveying means may be employed al though the construction of the conveyor should be such that most of the headed articles to be sorted, such as rivets, bolts," screws, nails, etc. will be supported on the conveyor in vertical positions. Various types of identifying means and extractors may be employed and the units may be arranged in auy suitable number and order to sort either a great variety or a limited number of types and sizes of rivets with each device. Any number of separate devices may be used for sorting a mixed accumulation of rivets and they may be treated prior to sorting to remove paper, dirt, iron objects or the like.

These and other changes and substitutions may be made in accordance with theprinciple of my invention and therefore it should be understood that the particular embodiment thereof shown in the drawings and herein described is intended to be illustrative of my invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims.

I claim: e

1. A sorting device for separating and collecting each of a plurality of different kinds of headed articles such as rivets, bolts, screws, nails and the like from mixed accumulations thereof, comprising a conveyor, means for arranging articles to be sorted on said conveyor with the head portions thereof in contact with the conveyor and the shank portions thereof projecting from the conveyor, identifying means located adjacent said conveyor in position to gauge one of said portions and responsive to movement of such portion of a predetermined kind of article into position adjacent thereto, a suction device positioned to remove from the conveyor the article located adjacent the identifying means, and means controlled by said identifying means f0 actuating said suction device.

'2. A sorting device for separating and collectmg each of a plurality of different kinds of headed articles such as rivets, bolts, screws, nails and the like from mixed accumulations thereof, comprising a conveyor, means for arranging the articles to be sorted on said conveyor with the heads upward and shanks downward, light sensitive means located below said conveyor in position to respond to movement of the shank of a predetermined kind of article into position adjacent thereto, a suction device positioned above said conveyor in position to raise from the conveyor the article located adjacent said light sensitive means, and means controlled by said light sensitive means for actuating said suction device.

3. A sorting device for separating and collecting each of a plurality of different kinds of headed articles such as rivets, bolts, screws, nails and the like from mixed acciunulations thereof, comprising parallel conveyors, constructed to hold said articles in vertical position thereon with the heads of the articles projecting above the conveyors and the shanks of the articles extending downward between the conveyors, means for supplying round headed articles and fiat headed articles of different size to the conveyors, mechanism located adjacent the conveyore, and including control means positioned at a level above the conveyors i-for selectiveiyiiactuati ing said mechanism to move articles having a predetermined typeofiheadvnpward iromibetween the con'veyors; and otheriinechanism 'located' ad -z jacentsaid conveyors butibeyond the; first'mecha ni'smand iricludin gcontrol means loeated belosw the conveyors'for selectively actuating the second mechanism: tormove :articles having shanksnof s predetermined-- size-upward from' between the conveyors. r v v o 4.1 A rivet. i, sorting: device comprising a. con-- veyorincludinga pair of parallel members spaced suiliciently lac-"support rivets thereon? in vertical positions with the heads of. the rivets resting Lon said members and theshanks thereof: extending dcwnward -between and" below the members; a plurality of units'located-along the path offirnove= m'ent of I said conveyor and each incliidirig a light sensitive element and a-sourceof light located-on opposit sides of said" conveyor :and below said members in-such-= pcsitions--that the shanks of rivets carried by: the conveyor -will intercept a beamof light 'passin'gfrom the lightsourceto the light sensitive elementsaiduni-tseach having a mask between the l-i-ghtsource and-element "and formed witli'an-identifying' aperture therein corresponding to-a different kind of=rivet, and means associatedwitheach unit and-including mechav nisni controlled by the light sensitive element for moving upward from the conveyor rivets identified by that unit. V j 1 5."A rivet sorting device ofthe type defined in claim 4 in which, the-mechanism"controlled by the light sensitive element is a suction device;

6. A rivet sorting device of the typedeiined in claim 4 in which the mechanis'mcontrolled by the light sensitive element includes a'jrec'eptacle; a tube extending from the receptacle-to a point above the conveyorand adjacent; a 'ri'vet' being identified, and means controlled-by the' light sensitive-element for applying suction to 'said tube to raise the rivet fromthe' conveyor and deliver it to said receptacle.

conveyors, means for-arranging: rivets on saida conveyors withtheheadsmt the rivets resting on the conveyors and. the shanksofthe' rivets extending downward betweenthe conveyors; and a plurality' of extracting devices located along the: path of movementof the conveyors and arranged rivets upward' iromrbetween the con-- said devices each i'ncluding r means lo-' cated:. below the conveyors selectively adjusted to" cause rivets of predetermined lengthto -be extracted by said devices. 7 Y I IOHRivet sorting mechanismcornprising parallel conveyors, means forarranging rivets 'on-saidconveyors-with the heads of- "the rivets restingon-' the conveyors and "theshanks of the-ri-vets extending downwardbetween the conveyors-, and a pl'uralitypfextracting deviceslocated along the path ofinovement ofthecor'me'yors and arranged to raise rivets iromthe conveyors," said devices each including means -l'ocated above the conveyors and verticallydisposed with" respect to the space between'the conveyors for directing ti'on upwardly frorn' between the'conveyors.

7'. A rivet sorting device of the type defined in claim '4 in Which'the' members'of the conveyor the path of movementof the conveyors "and each including an element vertically disposed with respect to the space between the conveyors to raise rivets upward from between th conveyors, said devices each beingadjusted to remove rivets ofv a predetermined size fromsaid conveyors.

QJJRiVet' sorting mechanism comprising'parallel 1 device. 40

I1. Rivet sorting mechanism/comprising parallel conveyors; means for'arrangingrivets onsaid conveyors with-the heads of the rivets resting on the conveyors and. with the shanks of the rivets extending downward between the conveyors; and a plurality of. suction deviceslocated above" the conveyors and over the space between the same, and'me'ans associated with each of 'said'suction' devices for actuating the same to raise rivets of predetermined size fromthe conveyors when such rivets reach a position beneath'said suction 12. Apparatus for sorting mixed iaccumu1a= tions of headed articles such'as rivet's'or the like which are characterized by having shanks I of different lengths comprising parallel supporting 'means, means for arranging rivets on said supadjusted and operable to raise rivets'having at predetermined length oi'shank upwardir'cm between the supporting means.

EDWARD E; GARmTs-{Jm 

